| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Namesake | The carp |
| Builder |
|
| Laid down | 23 August 1909 |
| Launched | 6 September 1911 |
| Sponsor | Miss Josephine Tynan |
| Commissioned | 19 June 1912 |
| Decommissioned | 15 March 1916 |
| Hide header | yes |
|---|---|
| Recommissioned | 13 June 1917 |
| Hide header | yes |
|---|---|
| Renamed | F-1 (Submarine No.20), 17 November 1911 |
| Identification | Hull symbol: SS-20 (17 July 1920), number later given to USS G-1 |
| Fate | Sunk by collision, 17 December 1917 |
| Class | F-class submarine |
|---|---|
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 142 ft 6 in (43.43 m) |
| Beam | 15 ft 5 in (4.70 m) |
| Draft | 12 ft 2 in (3.71 m) |
| Power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 200 ft (61 m) |
| Capacity | 11,500 US gal (44,000 L) fuel |
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
USS Carp/F-1 (SS-20), also known as "Submarine No. 20", was an F-class submarine. She was the first ship of the United States Navy named for the carp, though she was renamed F-1 prior to commissioning. Commissioned in 1912, she operated in the Pacific Ocean until she sank after a collision in 1917, the only US submarine lost during the US participation in World War I.
Design
The F-class boats had an overall length of 142 ft 7 in (43.5 m), a beam of 15 ft 5 in (4.7 m), and a mean draft of 12 ft 2 in (3.7 m). They displaced 330 long tons (340 t) on the surface and 400 long tons (410 t) submerged with a diving depth of 200 ft (61.0 m). The F-class submarines had a crew of 1 officer and 21 enlisted men.[1]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 390-horsepower (291-kilowatt) NELSECO diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 310-horsepower (231-kilowatt) electric motor. They could reach 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph) on the surface and 11.25 kn (20.84 km/h; 12.95 mph) underwater. On the surface, the boats had a range of 2,500 nmi (4,600 km; 2,900 mi) at 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph)[1] and 100 nmi (190 km; 120 mi) at 5 kn (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged.[2]
The F-class submarines were armed with four 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes in the bow. No reloads were carried.[2]
Construction
Carp's keel was laid down by Union Iron Works, of San Francisco, California, a subcontractor of the Electric Boat Company, on 23 August 1909. She was launched on 6 September 1911, and sponsored by Miss Josephine Tynan. She was renamed F-1 on 17 November 1911, and commissioned on 19 June 1912.[3]
Service history
Assigned to the First Submarine Group, Pacific Torpedo Flotilla, F-1 operated in the San Francisco, area on trials and tests through 11 January 1913, when she joined the flotilla for training at sea between San Diego, California, and San Pedro Submarine Base, San Pedro, then in San Diego Harbor.[3]
In late 1912, the boat, which then held the world's deep diving record, descending to 283 ft (86 m), slipped her mooring at Port Watsonville, in Monterey Bay, and grounded on a nearby beach. While most of the crew of 17 safely evacuated, two men died in the incident.[4]
From 21 July 1914 to 14 November 1915, the Flotilla, towed to their destination by armored cruisers, was based at Honolulu, for development operations in the Hawaiian Islands.[3]
F-1 lay in ordinary from 15 March 1916 to 13 June 1917. When she returned to full commission, she served with the Patrol Force, Pacific, making surface and submerged runs to continue her part in the development of submarine tactics. Her base during this time was San Pedro.[3] On 17 December 1917, while maneuvering in exercises off Point Loma,[5] F-1 and USS F-3 collided, the former sinking in ten seconds, her port side torn forward of the engine room. Nineteen of her men were lost; the remaining three were rescued by F-3.[3][6]
F-1 sank to the seafloor over 1,300 ft (400 m) below where it was rediscovered in 2025 by researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, lying "remarkably intact" on its starboard side.[6]
References
- ^ Friedman 1995, p. 306.
- ^ Gardiner & Gray 1985, p. 127.
- ^ Martin 2025.
- ^ PM 1913.
- ^ Linder 2001, p. 63.
- ^ Metcalfe 2025.
Bibliography
- Gary, Priolo. "Carp / F-1 (SS-20)". Navsource.net. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- Martin, Christopher J. (5 June 2025). "F-1 (Submarine No. 20)". Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- Friedman, Norman (1995). U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
- Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- "Submarine Wrecked in Surf". Popular Mechanics Magazine. January 1913. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
- Linder, Bruce (2001). San Diego's Navy. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 63. ISBN 1-55750-531-4.
- Metcalfe, Tom (23 May 2025). "American submarine, lost for over a century, discovered 'remarkably intact' off the coast of San Diego". Live Science. Retrieved 25 September 2025.